The everlasting rivalry between Ireland’s two major carriers, Aer Lingus (Dublin) and Ryanair (Dublin), erupted into action again this week with the two airlines exchanging blows over Twitter. Well, we say “blows”, more like witty banter.

It all kicked off when flag carrier Aer Lingus pointed out that a photo of one of it’s own aircraft had been used in an advertisement of the low-cost carrier, Ryanair (above).

In response to this, a follower of the airline asked the question on everyone’s mind: do the two airlines actually hate each other?

However, Ryanair saw this as a challenge and swiftly responded (above) with a harsh uppercut to their rivals. Tweeting “We stopped being rivals in the 90s ‪@AerLingus. We’d have to treble our fares & lose 81m customers to be your rival ‪#EuropesNo1”

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced a further extension to its Manchester summer 2015 schedule with a new route to Stuttgart in Germany, which will operate six times weekly from April 2. This is in addition to two new summer 2015 routes to Eindhoven and Shannon (38 routes in total) and extra flights to/from Alicante, Lisbon and Madrid.

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced that it is extending it’s summer 2015 schedule from London Stansted Airport, with a new route to Deauville, France. This is in addition to the previously announced four new summer 2015 routes to Ponta Delgada (Azores), Cologne, Glasgow and Edinburgh and increased flights on 24 existing routes to and from London (Stansted).

The new route to Deauville will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays from April 3, 2015.

Reported by Assistant Editor Oliver Wilcock from Manchester.

Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Up close and person. Boeing 737-8AS EI-EVK (msn 40298) launches into the sky at the Dublin base.

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced a new base at Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores. The Azores will be the Irish budget carrier’s 72nd base, and fourth in Portugal. Ryanair released the following statement:

“Ryanair, Europe’s favorite low fares airline, today announced it will open its fourth Portuguese base in the Azores from April 2015 with one based Boeing 737-800 and three new routes to London Stansted, Lisbon and Porto.”

The ultra low-cost carrier is also in discussions with the government of the Azores about possible services to Terceira and additional international flights to the islands.

In other news, ch-aviation is reporting Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has revealed that the carrier is planning to lease seven aircraft to cover next year’s summer high season.

The airline currently operates 302 Boeing 737-800s on flights covering 180 destinations scattered throughout Europe and North Africa.

This year, the carrier wet leased four Boeing 737-400s, split between AirExplore (Bratislava) and Air Contractors (Dublin), three Boeing 737-800s from flydubai (Dubai), and a maiden Airbus A320-200 from defunct Italian carrier Livingston Compania Aerea (2nd) (Milan), for the duration of the summer

Ryanair (Dublin) and Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) have issued this statement:

Boeing and Ryanair have finalized an order for 100 737 MAX 200s, valued at $11 billion at current list prices. The order, originally announced as a commitment in September, includes options for 100 additional 737 MAX 200 airplanes, and makes the Irish low-cost carrier the launch customer for the newest member of the 737 MAX family of airplanes.

“Ryanair is proud and honored to become the lead operator of Boeing’s ‘gamechanger’ 737 MAX 200 aircraft, which will expand our fleet to approximately 520 aircraft by 2024 and create another 10,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers in Europe, while allowing us to grow traffic from 82 million passengers last year to over 150 million by 2024,” said Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary.

“These new ‘gamechanger’ aircraft will allow Ryanair to lower our costs and airfares, while improving our customer experience with more leg room and the Boeing Sky Interior, as we roll out new offers, particularly for our Business Plus and Family Extra customers. As many of Europe’s flag carriers cut capacity on short haul routes, Ryanair looks forward to using these new 737 MAX 200 aircraft to grow at many more of Europe’s primary airports,” said O’Leary.

The 737 MAX 200, a variant based on the successful 737 MAX 8, can accommodate up to 200 seats, increasing revenue potential and providing customers up to 20 percent better fuel efficiency per seat than today’s most efficient single-aisle airplanes.

“The 737 MAX 200 will be a excellent addition to Ryanair’s all-Boeing fleet, providing the additional capacity, improved economics and high-levels of reliability that are required for its continued expansion,” said Todd Nelp, vice president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our long-term partnership with Ryanair is a source of immense pride within Boeing and we are delighted to have the airline as the launch customer for the 737 MAX 200.”

Boeing developed the 737 MAX 200 in response to the needs of the fast growing low-cost sector, which is forecasted to account for 35 percent of single-aisle airline capacity by 2033. While the heart of the single-aisle market will remain at 160 seats, the 737 MAX 200 will provide carriers like Ryanair with up to 11 more seats of potential revenue and up to 5 percent lower operating costs than the 737 MAX 8, driving economic growth and increasing access to air travel.

Standard across the 737 MAX family, Ryanair’s 737 MAX 200s will be configured with the passenger inspired Boeing Sky Interior, featuring modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness and larger pivoting overhead stowage bins.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. With this order, more than 50 customers have ordered more than 2,550 737 MAXs.

Headquartered in Ireland’s capital city, Ryanair operates more than 1,600 flights daily from 71 bases, connecting 183 destinations in 30 countries. Currently operating 300 Next-Generation 737-800s, Ryanair took delivery of its first 737 in 1994, and now operates the largest fleet of Boeing airplanes in Europe. With a team of more than 9,700 highly skilled professionals, the airline is expected to fly more than 89 million passengers this year.

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